FDA and CDC Issue Warnings Against Delta-8 THC

The FDA and CDC issued warnings this week against consumer products containing hemp-derived delta-8 THC, which has yet to be thoroughly studied.

Full story after the jump.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have warned against the use of products containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Delta-8 THC is a natural isomer of the cannabis plant but is much less common (and less potent) than delta-9 THC, which is the psychoactive chemical most commonly associated with cannabis. But delta-8 is still psychoactive and modern hemp processors have determined methods for synthetically converting hemp-derived cannabinoids like CBD into delta-8 THC. And, because these companies are operating under the 2018 Farm Bill—which federally legalized industrial hemp and its derivatives—the products can be shipped nationwide, even to states that have not yet legalized cannabis.

First reported by Marijuana Moment, the agencies released documents on Tuesday covering the potential health risks of delta-8 THC and warning consumers against experimenting with such products. In the CDC’s Health Alert Network Health Advisory and the FDA’s “5 Things to Know About Delta-8 THC” fact sheet, the agencies argue that delta-8 THC hasn’t been properly researched.

“The health effects of delta-8 THC have not yet been researched extensively and are not well-understood. However, delta-8 THC is psychoactive and may have similar risks of impairment as delta-9 THC. As such, products that contain delta-8 THC but are labeled with only delta-9 THC content rather than with total THC content likely underestimate the psychoactive potential of these products for consumers.” — CDC Health Advisory excerpt

The agencies also highlight an uptick in “delta-8 THC-involved adverse events” including pediatric hospitalizations and calls to Poison Control as additional causes for concern.

Meanwhile, a growing list of states including Colorado and Washington—the ground zero states for cannabis legalization—have banned delta-8 THC products from retail shelves. Additionally, a study in June found that more than half of commercially available delta-8 THC products contained illegal levels of delta-9 THC.

In an interview last month with HempGrower, renowned cannabis researcher Dr. Ethan Russo suggested that the proliferation of such gray market, hemp-derived THC products was a byproduct of ongoing prohibition.

“If there were legalization of cannabis products with appropriate regulation, I don’t think any of this would be happening,” he said. “The continuation of prohibition has basically been a catalyst to this kind of development of products that people would like to think are legal but clearly are not.”

Get daily cannabis business news updates. Subscribe

Have an additional perspective to share? Send us a message to let us know, and if your comment is chosen by our editors it could be featured here.

End


Ganjapreneur is made possible by our partners:

Latest Cannabis News

View all news Get email updates

Featured Business Profiles

Create a profile View all categories

From Our Partners